James t



J. T. WHIHLE;

Hand. Truck.

Patentd 0a, 29, 1867.

N.FE\'ERS. PHOTD-LITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D C.

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JAMES T. WHIPPLE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

Letters Patent No. 70,303, dated October 29,1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN HAND-TRUGKS.

TO'ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, JAMES T. WHIPPLE, of the city of Chicago, in the county of Cook, and State of Illinois,

have made certain Improvements in Hand-Trucks; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereoil, makings. part of the specification, in which I V Figure 1 is a transverse longitudinal section of the truck. Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same, showing the position in which the truck is thrown while being loaded.

Similar letters of reference, as they occur in the several figures, denote like parts in each of the drawings,

My invention relates to an improvement in that class of hand-trucks which is employed in moving heavy,

casks, bales of cotton,.or any like substance, and the nature of my invention consists, first, in concaving orforming the upper surface of the sides or bed pieces of the truck in proper shape to receive said casks', in combination with the inclined or sharp-curved portion of the sides of the truck; second, attaching a corrugated strapof iron to the back or rear end of the truck, around the inclined or sharp-curved portion thereof, forming the fulcrum upon which the same may oscillate, whereby said truck is prevented from moving or sliding back;

ward while being loaded; and, third, in the device and manner of adjusting the holding or stop-bar, as will be hereinafter more fully explained.

To enable others skilled in the art to more fully understand,.construct, and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the same with reference to the drawings.

C represents the pole or handle of the truck, the same being attached to the frame, of which A A form V the. side or bed pieces, said pieces being concaved or cut away on the upper side in proper shape to receive a cask, sugar-hogshead,'bale of cotton, or any like substance. The lower portion of the back or rear end of said bed pieces A A" is inclined or sharply curved upward for the purpose of forming a fulcrum, by which a powerful lcverage'may be obtained, (when the forward end of the truck is tilted upward.) Attached to the .upper and lower sidesof said bed pieces are straps of iron T T".' The lower strap T, at the inclined or curved part thereof, is provided with a series of corrugations transversely, as shown at E, fig. 2, the object ofthis corrugated surface being to prevent the truck from moving backward while being loaded, as is the case with all heretofore known arrangementswhere, in that position of the'truck it is smooth as if provided with auxiliary wheels. Attached 7 to the pole or handle 0, forward, of the frame, is an adjustable clasp, L, which is provided at opposite sidesfwith slats U", through which pass bolts Hit upon which said clasp may be adjusted longitudinally, and held at any given point, by meansof thumb-nuts e e". To the rear end of said clasp-is hinged a curved holding and stop-bar P, which extends backward nearly to the rear end of the truck, as shown in both figures of the drawings, the object of this style of mechanism being such that the holding or stop-bar may be readily adjusted to hold a larger or smaller cask by merely turning dr loosing the thumb-nut, without withdrawing or moving the bolts, as is the case with those trucks wherein the holding or stop-bar is hinged directly to the bolt, passing through the pole or handle of the same.

The operation of my arrangement is as follows: The cash or hogshcad m to be moved being upon the floor, the forwardend of the truck is tilted upward to nearly a vertical position, which brings the concaved portion of the truck in contact with and underneath the cask, thus bringing the sharp-curved and corrugated strap T in contact with the floor. Holding or stop-bar P is then thrown forward and upon the cask, firmly securing the same. The forward end of the truck is then lowered down to a horizontal position; the sharp edges of the corrugated strap T (protruding downward, over which the fulcrum is formed) take into the floor, thus preventing the truck from moving backward while being lowered to a horizontal position, thus throwing the heft ofthe cask upon wheels n n, whereby the same can be rolled away with ease and safety.

Having thus described the nature and object of .my invention, I disclaim the construction .of the curved adjustable holding and stop-bar P, broadly considered, but what I do claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isl 1. Corrugated strap '1, when attached to the sharp-curved part of the rear end of the truck, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. I 2. Clasp L, when used for the purpose of adjusting said holding and stop-barP, substantially as and for the purpose described.

I In testimony'whereof I have hereunto signed my name before two subscribing witnesses.

I JAMES T. WHIPPLE.

Witnesses:

W. C-ISPAIFORD, Geo. J. HADLEY. 

